Bode Miller

Bode Miller who will possibly ski as a independent 2008 says, "there is far to great an emphasis put on winning" - interesting. Personally I think winning is a bi-product of skill, talent, work ethic, desire, passion, effort, ripping practice runs one after the other, team, teammates pushing each other in a positive fashion, unfortunately equipment - race day setup, a strong belief in yourself and fellow teammates, practice practice practice, strength conditioning, understanding different snow conditions, examining the race course and then applying your examination to your race run, and all the other variables come race day that you can help me list. I think this is what is fun about sport - the quest to be the best, not only the quest to be the best in sport but being the best that you can be and maximizing your talents, the latter of the two is equally rewarding.

Leave nothing to chance racers, work hard, have some fun and go get after it. Pay attention to each practice run - evaluate how you got out of shape and correct it next run. Individual sports are tough on athhletes - you gotta have thick skin - it's not like you can just call a time-out if you don't like how things are going. You get better in practice not on race days.

I like to ski with a .3 degree sidewalledge and a .05 (3 .5 same thing) baseedge sharpening - seems to hook up the fastest when you lean it on edge, this setup is pretty standard in slalom but vary's with skiers style and preference.

Gentlemen, this is a race team not a club, do not ski timid, ski free - let em run and control all that chaos going on underneath your ski boot. - Lets Go Racing. Lets Go Bengals Lets Go Bengals. Looks like next race Jan 5 at Wild Mountain - who's cross training or something?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbQ-YRyj23A

The Wild Invitational

Wild Mountain (300' of vertical) hosted its Annual Invitational, 28 different schools put their 6 best up for competition. Former Bengal and current UMD student Jane Oillia showed to support her Brother and her former teammates. Nick Stang from Irondale (our conference) ended up winning this event, Coach Loughlin of the Knights said "He's a machine". Once again Senior Captain Tyler Foxx led the Bengals with a 44th place finish and also had a Fan Club of female racers from other schools - nice work T. Brandon Carney who refused to be denied a finish battled hard on his tails to ensure he did not miss a gate at the bottom of run #1, run #2 he got out of shape early but recovered and had a nice bottom half finishing 46th. Captain Nate Black skid with great rhythm and transitioned nicely from one turn to the next finished 81st. Paul Oillia aka Fonzie when he wasn't taking cheap shots at Uncle Datz skid very well and earned himself a 89th place finish. Connor the Big C Corgard wiped his 1st run, this happens young man, rebounded nicely for his second run of 32.89, way to go 8th grader. Ryan Burke had a solid 1st run, unfortunately wiped on the 2nd, this happens Evil Knievel, me and Craig Delong feel partially responsible for this wipe out as we were shouting words of encouragement as you passed us, we will not do this again - very supersticious. Also attending the show was the Bengals AD - Bengal Pride Bengal Pride. Special thanks to the Delongs, Caldwells for handling the grilling side of things, the Black family contributed $ as well for the food. It was obvious to all the Bengals represented and had tons of fun in the process. Conditions were tough and rutted very easily as it was 32 degrees when I woke up that morning.

The Conference Opener

The Coaching staff is very pleased with the efforts of the Bengals thus far. Dec. 18th at the Troll for the conference opener where 10 skiers per team represent 8 schools. Lets Go Bengals. Captain TFoxx led the Bengals with a very nice big picture racing 13th place finish. Connor The BIG C Corgard I may be an 8th grader but I can hang finished 21st in his conference debut and turned some heads in the process. Burke aka Knievel finished my favorite number 24th - don't go breaking any arms now. Paul Oillia aka Fonzie without his sweet leather jacket finished 26th. Captain Nate the great Black finished with a team helping 27th place effort. Kyle Delong with a fine effort to earn 41 team points on a 40th place finish. Charlie The Dawg Correll lost a pole on one run which hurt his chances of a solid finish placed 48. Brandon I lost a pole and damaged the inner guts on my Leki Triggers and almost got DQ'd until Gronski had a talk with the officials Carney finished 51st, however, smeee's second run of 25.48 was the 3rd fastest of run #2 - no worries - good things. Cameron Caldwell who got out of shape on run #2 finished 56, get em next time Cam. Thor finished out with a 67 for the varsity. Many racers came down with only one pole, seems the snow on the wooden starting ramp was not thick or hard enough as racers would pole plant down the ramp and their poles would get stuck or wedged in the wood. Several coach's have told me it was a oversight on their part, personally I'm chalking it up to simply one of those racing things, it happens, but hey, they can replace my homies poles if they feel that bad about it. The Bengals find themselves in 3rd place with 440 points as Chisago has the lead with 615. Lets go Bengals Lets go Bengals. Chisago won that battle but the outcome of this war still lies in the hands of The Bengals.

Look, its Harry and Lloyd Christmas. The 1st slalom scrimmage of this season held at the training site of Bengals was a eye-opener for the Young Carney Lad as he realized he can compete with the likes of Dahlman and Pinewski when he lays down 2 solid runs. Once again, the teams participating where Anoka, Coon Rapids, Andover, and Champlain Park as the teams all train at the Troll. Carney got his 1st victory of the season with a winning margin of 1.21 seconds - smeeeee. Burke came through big-time with a 5th place finish, nice nice nice. Captain TFoxx with a respectable 6th place finish - way to go Tyler. Captain Nate Black strummed his way to a 7th place finish - sweet music. Charlie the good Dawg Correll ripped 2 solid runs to earn himself a 8th place finish - who let the Dawgs out, excellent smithers. Paul I have trouble with your last name Oillia aka Fonzie with a respectable 20th place finish - someday, somehow, somewhere I'm gonna get you. Kyle Delong had some quick feet and got himself a 21st place finish - way to go Donger. Thor the Norse god of thunder followed up his previous scrimmage performance with a 22nd place finish. Connor the Big C Corgard put down a 28.4 on his first pass but bobbled on his 2nd run 36.58 but still finished very well at 23 - Jordanesque. Mitch Schroeder finished in 28th place with a William Wundt effort - way to go Mitch. Cameron I wake up before the Roosters Caldwell had some sweeet turns and got a 30th place finish. Luke your not gonna steal my Mojo Zac rounded out the Bengals with a very respectable 42nd place effort. Way to go Bengals, looks like we have no problems with these teams. Lets see how we fare in Conference this year with the new 8 team format race in race out. Say goodbye to the days of school versus school and say hello to the new, I like to call it The Ultimate Filter. Lets Go Bengals - Lets Go Bengals

Giant Slalom Scrimmage

The once a year Giant Slalom scrimmage found the Bengals taking 6 out of the top ten finishes, Bengal domination. The likes of Coon Rapids, Champlin Park, Andover, and Anoka participated in this event. Sophomore phenom Brandon Carney ripped some larger arcs and brought home a 2nd place finish for the squad. 8th grader Connor The Big C made a big splash as he brought home to the Bengal's den a 4th place finish in his first ever high school event. Sophomore Cameron Caldwell came through with a personal best 6th place finish contributing handsomely. Senior Captain Tyler Fox got a little out of shape and finished 7th - this happens in racing. Junior Paul Oillia aka Fonzie added a strong performance to secure 9th place. Finishing out the top 10 was sophomore Thor Sherva with a personal best - way to go Bengals.

Skier Profiles

Sr. Captain Tyler Foxx - aka The Foxx, no question he is a smart and calculating racer - he has been captain since the turn of the century, catch him if you can. Look for solid finishes from this Senior leader all season long, also check out all the girls that flock to him on race day. Young racers, you can learn much from this one. Tyler's older brother also bashed the gates for the Bengals. Good Things TFoxx and have a great senior season.

Sr. Captain Nate Black - aka Jack Black, Nate has skiing in his blood - he's a lifer. Nate is finding his rhythm and aggressively attacking the gates this season. He is currently making his own set of boards at the high school in his Outdoor Adventures Class, Uncle C likes new boards. Nate is a leader on and off the hill. Nate comes from a long line of talented Musicians and his old man makes the best guitars in the upper mid-west. Good Things Nate, rock out and have a great senior season.

Sr. Mitch Schroeder - aka Mitch has been a member of this team as far back as I can remember. Mitch puts a high premium on his studies, look for positive contributions from this senior this season as well as down the road in life. Mitch is currently making his own set of snowshoes and wants to pursue psychology after high school. Good things Mitch, enjoy your Senior season.

Jr. Paul Oillila - aka Fonzie is sharp and quick witted, be careful with this one if you dare get into a verbal jousting match. Certainly a well rounded lad with his feet firmly planted on the ground, a role model if you will. He is currently sponsored by Head Skis - bodilicious. When he is not hitting gates he loves to ice fish and snowmobile, he also enjoys long walks in the parks. I don't know how or when but I'm gonna get you somehow somewhere. Good Things Fonzie, turn em loose, let em run.

Jr. Kyle Delong - aka The Dong Show is a consiment professional, if you are looking for the definition of a team player ask him, he knows. Kyle supports his teammates and they support him - Priceless. Kyle has a strong passion for skiing as well as hunting, fishing, and legos. Best is yet to come young man, you have a foundation now we need to start building. Good Things Donger, go get em.

Jr. Charlie Correll - aka Charlie Dawg, you can't keep a good Dawg down no no no you just can't keep a good Dawg down. This Dawg is a clubhouse gem, a strong work ethic on the hill, classroom, and in the workforce. Best is yet to come young man. Charlie has a smile on his face at all times while skiing - you could profit from this Fabio. Good Things Dawg, I love it when you call me Uncle C, go get em.

Jr. Ryan Burke - aka Evil Knievel as he has half the broken bones of this daredevil. Burke has a love of big mountain skiing and the terrain park, he says "Go Big Or Go Home". He is definitely the team prankster. Currently sponsored by Fischer race and twin tip skis. Good things Burke, go get em and please test your launch before you go for the big one.

So. Brandon Carney - aka smeeee and many others. This kid has a huge upside and a strong desire and passion to be the fastest on any given day, he loves to compete. His aggressive attack on the hill is something you just can't teach - you either got it or you don't. He loves to race as well as freeski in the parks. Go get em young man, win lose or draw it does not matter to me I Love You Ski Buddy, technique will improve with time on Boards, Ski Free General Lee. You Can Do It.

So. Jon Caldwell - aka Cameron is willing himself and pushing himself to be the best he can be, he is hungry. Positive competition is a strong suit of this one as well as playing the French Horn. Keep an eye on him this season as I expect him to improve dramatically and be a major contributor. Good Things Cam, go get em.

So. Thor Sherva - aka Thor has a great combo platter going here, skiing in the winter and racing motocross in the summer. Also, keep your eyes peeled for him to make a cameo appearance on the 6 o'clock news, a celebrity if you will. Still curious as to why they call you Thor - hee heee. Good Things Thor, go get em.

So. Luke Zac - aka The Brain has a abundant amount of classroom MoJo. Progression is big with this one, each time down the hill he is improving. Luke loves to hang with the boys and is a respected member of this TEAM. He is on the path to be a major impact player later in life. Good Things Luke, enjoy the hills and go get em.

So. Jeri McClellan - aka Jeri is a 1st year gate racer and unfortunately the only female on this team. Gentleman, help Jeri promote this sport at school and get some more females out there. Good Things Jeri, go get em.

8th Connor Corgard - aka The Legitimate BIG C is a polished racer for such a young lad. Huge upside with this one, listen for his start he's vocal. In the summer months you can find him at Lake Calhoun playing with his Dingy racing his Laser sailboat, certainly a racer of many types. The older boys have certainly welcomed him with open arms as he is contributing big time. Good Things BIG C, go get em and you definitely made the wiser choice of racing with two boards under your feet.

Coach Gronski - aka Coach has been a long standing pillar of the Blaine Alpine Ski Team. He is working furiously with these kids to try and get a Conference Championship and restore The Bengal to its rightful place. Certainly he takes a no non-sense approach, Thanks for all you do for the kids.

Coach Kissner - aka Coach, the ski team has taken a strong liking to this first year coach. On race day you will find her at the top stoking the kids up and preparing them for the task at hand. It did not take her long to connect with this group, chemistry is a strong suit here. She also hands out kisses race day - the Hershey kind. Thanks for all you do to maximize these kid's potential.

Team chemistry is a strong suit of this group as all seem to get along very well. This group has a legitimate shot at contending for a Conference Title this season. Special shout out to all the homies of this team, we all love to watch you guys compete and soar to new Bengal heights. Ladies and Gentleman Your 2007-2008 Blaine Bengals High School Alpine Ski TEAM.

Opening Post

This is the Virgin post for the Blaine Bengals Alpine Ski team.
Funny, a Cardinal from 92, asked a Bengal from 92 to set it up.
You'd think the Bengal would say *What do the five fingers say to the face???? SLAP!!!*
However, they are softball buddies, so all is good.

I'll get around to pretty-ing up the site, and give DC full access to post away.
Happy bloggin boys.